This invention relates to a buoy for indicating the presence of a scuba diver diving underwater, and more particularly to a diver awareness buoy having an inflatable bladder resembling the upper portion of a scuba diver. Dive flags are used by scuba divers and skin divers to identify to surface vehicles such as boats that persons are diving underwater within the general area around the dive flag. A standard dive flag includes a diagonal white stripe against a red background. These flags are generally placed in a buoyant member such as an innertube for keeping the dive flag above the water and visible to boats and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,149,352 illustrates an inflatable diver's flag.
However, it frequently occurs that boats disregard the flags and pass through the area where divers are diving. This may occur because either the driver of the boat does not see the flag, does not comprehend the meaning associated with the flag, or assumes that the divers are below underwater and not near the surface. The presence of boats passing through the area where divers are diving presents a hazardous environment to the divers.
Other forms of inflatable water objects include an aquatic doll disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,558,200 designed to float in an upright position when placed in the water for the amusement of children while bathing. Also, an inflatable toy is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 1,632,356. These dolls are not intended to be used as buoys or for signaling the presence of divers diving in a general area.
Accordingly, a need arises to effectively alert driver's of boats to the presence of scuba divers.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a diver awareness buoy which signals to boats the presence of divers diving in the general vicinity.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a diver awareness buoy resembling a diver for signaling the presence of divers to boats.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a diver awareness buoy which is easy to manufacture.